“Abandon yourself in the hands of Jesus and he will do what is best for your

soul”.

- Mother Seraphina

Mother Seraphina, the foundress of the CFMSS, was a very humble lady. She, with

her great deeds, has not only inspired the human kind but also has found favour in

the eyes of God Almighty. Although a busy soul, who dedicated her life for the

education of the vulnerable section of the society, she never missed the opportunity

to converse with her Abba Father. Her relation with God constantly inspired her to

face the hurdles and challenges in her life and overcome them.

Even though her soul has left for the heavenly abode but her deeds and quotes

inspire and motivate not only me but people across the globe. One such quote

which inspired me the most is: “Abandon yourself in the hands of Jesus and he

will do what is best for your soul”. This quote motivates me to speak about faith.

Faith is the most precious gift of God. Abandoning oneself into the hands of Jesus

requires utmost faith. When a small child jumps into his father’s hand from a

height, he/she has the faith that his/her father will catch her and not let her get

injured. We also need to have such a faith in the Almighty. In the Bible God says

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.” When our living God promises to provide us

with a prosperous future, we are reluctant to accept it, or to abandon ourselves in

God’s hand. Here I am reminded of the story of Abraham, who agreed to surrender

his only son Issac, whom he bore in his old age, to God. Not a single doubt came to

his mind when God asked for this sacrifice. His faith made him the father of a great

nation. It’s time for an introspection of our own faith.

We are so much lost in the worldly pleasures that sometimes we forget where we

have come from and what our destination is. We are so busy in taking care of our

external appearance that we ignore our internal soul. Our true faith in God is the

nourishment for our soul. Jesus has said “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Its means first

we need to believe in God and all the rest we will receive automatically.

Even when tragic things happen, putting faith in God means we believe, no matter

how bad things look, that God will work them together for our good. (Romans

8:28) When God says he will work all things for good, there is no exception. Too

often, we look at what we are experiencing and cannot fathom how it will work

out, but that’s exactly when we need to place that situation into our Father’s

capable hands. They are the very hands that created the world and we can rest,

knowing that he has things under control.

In the present situation, when the world is fighting against the deadly corona

infection, the word of God will surely give us immense strength to overcome the

situation.

-NISHA VARGHESE

“Each child for Mother Seraphina is unique and therefore needs special

nurturing.”

-MOTHER SERAPHINA

In her „Advice to Teachers‟, Mother Seraphina, the nineteenth century Italian

educationist, to emphasize her point: “Let the educator be a father, a counsellor, a

judge to the students. Let him study as far as possible their character, their attitudes

and their tendencies, opposing virtues to contrary vices…..”

While studying the Education Philosophy of Mother Serapahina, the foundress of

the CFMSS under whom we are privileged to impart education, I find that each

word spoken by the great saint is very much applicable in the present context and

will continue to be relevant in the future too.

My long association for more than twenty years with the organization has helped

me study the education philosophy of one of the greatest educators in the Catholic

Church. Her passion for education of little children can be seen in the golden

words she has spoken very often while elaborating her love for the education of the

poor and needy children. While studying the life story of Mother Seraphina, I did

discover that for her school was a place where each child enters with his/her own

potentials and intelligence. And thus we who are entrusted with the task of

imparting education cannot have biased minds towards them. We need to

recognize and accept the child and do our best to draw out the best in him by

motivating and forming his character. Every teacher who is entrusted with the task

of teaching a child has to understand that each child with his/her unique character

has to be nurtured and cared for.

Teaching is my passion from the beginning when I started my career as a teacher.

It has remained with me till date. The pupil-teacher relationship for me is nothing

but a reflection of the bond that exists between a mother and children. Therefore it

is the duty of every teacher to have an individual knowledge of the children

entrusted to his/her care. Unless and until a teacher is well acquainted with his/her

students, she/he will not be able to understand the behavioral pattern of the child

and it can lead to disaster. In order to help children develop their talents, it is

essential that a teacher must have sound knowledge of every child who has been

handed over to her/him for at least one academic year.

Along with intellectual progress, it is also necessary to inculcate virtues which will

determine the future behaviour pattern of the students. Virtues which are imparted

in our school are of utmost importance as they make our students outstanding in

behavior in the large society.

We need to strive to achieve the objectives of Mother Seraphina so that we are

able to form good citizens who are obedient and exemplary. The education

philosophy of Mother Seraphina is in the right direction to transform each student

into a law abiding citizen and make him /her a good human being.

-Ms. Ruby Thomas

“Be generous, grow in holiness and remember the favors the Lord has

bestowed on you.”

-MOTHER SERAPHINA

We have two hands; one is for helping ourselves and the other one for helping

others. As we know even a kind gesture can cure a wound that only compassion

can heal. Mother Seraphina did and expected from us also to do something good

for those in need. We must change the world, society from one that worships

money and power to one that practices compassion and generosity. We need to be

a warrior when it comes to deliver our emotions and a saint when it comes to treat

people with respect and generosity. Teach love, generosity, good manners and

some of these virtues will drift from the classroom to home; and who knows, the

children will be educating the parents. The Lord has placed next to me many

people, who, with love for God, have helped me and been close to me. My theory

is to establish the culture of generosity whether in personal or professional life. I

feel we all have to stake in improving our society and seeking avenues of

generosity is the direct path to peace among us.

For me, holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in

accepting and following the will of Almighty God. Holiness is the strength of the

soul. It comes by faith and obedience to God’s laws and ordinances.

Lord is the beginning and end of all creation. All that is created - space, air, water

and earth are his creations and we have to take care of all these. He is the Creator

(adi), Maintainer (Madhya) and Annihilator (anta) of these. VIDYA is the

education that a person acquires in relation to subject knowledge. Practice of Vidya

cultivates the intellect, deepens knowledge and increases awareness of the path of

DHARMA. Science of spirituality liberates human beings’ material bondage and

gives them immortality. The best knowledge is that by which the intellect becomes

attached to the lotus feet of GOD. Logic is the basis for communication of ideas

and establishment of truth. It is because of universal sense of logic that knowledge

can be easily cultivated, taught and learnt in human society.

The modern ecological crisis has created a need for environmentally based religion

and spirituality. Eco -spirituality is a manifestation of the spiritual connection

between human beings and the environment. Religious ecology identifies ways of

interacting with nature that inspire human responses of respect, protection, and

appropriate use of nature.

Education without religion is not true education.

RELIGION = LOVE, CARE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY for all creatures of GOD

-Ruchee Mittal

“The teacher should see that the moral formation and academic knowledge go

hand in hand and that love for virtues is inculcated in the pupils.”

- Mother Seraphina

On the occasion of Institute Week, I owe my salute and respect to Venerable

Mother Seraphina. May she keep us enlightened and focused to carry her mission

forward.

“The teacher should see that the moral formation and academic knowledge go

hand in hand and that love for virtues is inculcated in the pupils.”

Being a teacher, I truly agree and realize that a teacher’s job is not just to impart

knowledge of the subject, rather, it is our responsibility to awaken the desire for

moral transformation, cultural, social and spiritual development of the pupils.

Considering today’s scenario, education must be designed to support, develop and

strengthen the humane traits in any individual. I believe that in the early years of

children, all other concerns about training and preparing them for jobs must be set

aside. Rather, the emphasis should be on forming an excellent human being,

imbued with high values, right attitude and motivating visions. We, teachers

should develop their areas of emotional, social and spiritual quotient. We need to

keep them motivated, happy, active, engaged and make them dare to take the road

less travelled.

A child spends about 6 to 7 hours in the school with the teachers and hence tries to

copy, imitate and follow them. If a young child is asked who he/she want to

become, without taking a second thought he/she replies “A TEACHER“, because

he/she is a role model to the children.Sometimes, students face problems when

they observe conflicting values, but they often choose the most significant one as

per their understanding. We, as teachers, need develop and sensitize them so that

they can choose the right values and distinguish between the right and wrong.

Children now-a-days are neglecting moral values and hence find it difficult to face

challenges of their life. Sometimes, they even end their lives due to mental

instability.

Today we also hear about a bright and hard-working student become a dropout all

because of some destructive influence. She/he falls into bad company and becomes

an addict to drugs, smoking, negative media, etc. If we take the example of Osama

Bin Laden who was an Oxford graduate and hard-working pupil taking a wrong

track becoming a threat worldwide.

However, it is not easy to form good conscience in our students particularly when

they are exposed to the conflicting values in the society that they see, observe and

learn from different agents.But we in collaboration with parents can do it. Living

values like acceptance, generosity, respect, integrity, patience self control,

perseverance etc., must be imbued in children right from infancy. They need to be

honest, reliable and ethical in all dealings. They should be guided to refuse to steal,

lie, cheat, deceive, manipulate or exploit others. Their inner conscience should

support them to choose the right path. And those who have developed their

conscience will not easily succumb to peer pressures in school or outside.

Moral formation of a child should be monitored in every action they do.Various

activities like a visit to the orphanages, old age homes, sacred places, meditation

centers etc., must be organized every now and then as a part of co-curricular

activities.As a teacher, we must encourage them to visit such places and offer

donations or services to the less fortunate. These experiences will help them

empathize with the suffering and understand the need for helping others. Last year,

I experienced a few cases which made me feel proud of my presence in their life. If

not all, at least few of them get motivated by our talks and visit to these places on

different festivals along with their parents. When I asked some of them to narrate

their experiences they were emotionally moved some even shedding tears. It is

often observed that few children are not willing to share their belongings even

when requested to. These children get encouragement and motivation from those

who narrated their experience of sharing. These children need mentoring,

motivation and appreciation for their little acts of charity.

As a facilitator, we need to sensitize our children to detect what is morally right

and wrong, and what is spurious and genuine.A student must be conscientized that

he/she must not be swayed by others’ opinions or behavior which is not apt.

According to Mother Seraphina,“you cannot give what you don’t have”.So, when a

teacher is imbued with values, emotionally and mentally balanced and mature, only

then can she be able to mould a child into a good human in an atmosphere of love,

care and optimism.For moral formation, we need to cultivate faith and trust in a

benevolent, omnipotent God and share, experiences to let the children realize that

nothing is impossible to God.The student must be asked to cultivate a deep

relationship with God through regular prayers, rituals, meditations, yoga, deep

relaxation and calming of their mind. They should be guided to create an

environment of peace within and a grateful disposition towards God. They ought to

have an abiding awareness of God for the innumerable gifts and blessings they

have received in their life. With regular teaching these activities of interaction,

prayers, meditation, charity etc., must go on regularly. Academics should not be

compromised as well because the students are the ambassadors of change in future.

They are going to make a better world.They will make our Earth a happy and

peaceful one.We as teachers ought to be updated, innovative and creative in our

subjects so that we could make a happy and healthy learning environment, rather

than a monotonous and tiring one.

To bring about a desirable transformation in the entire society and leading the

humanity towards its farther reaches, is our (teachers’) urgent mission. Moreover,

we should usher a steady and quiet revolution towards equal developmental

opportunities for all.Aiming to do the best to draw out the noble, pious, pure and

caring human from each child is my sole desire.

-Sunita Dagar